Betty or Veronica?
by leafsfan
Summary: Bit random, but whatever. Some events cause him to evaluate his relationships... rated for language.
1. Default Chapter

****

Betty or Veronica?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. If I did, Lana would be a lot less perfect and Clark wouldn't like her, Pete would get any girls he wanted (aw, come one, he's cool) and Chloe would rule all.

A/N: If this story seems random, it's because it is. I wrote it in, like, five different sections at different times and the story changed quite a few times. Anyway, I hope you like it and reviews are always welcomed.

****

The tall figure of Clark Kent stepped into the dusky light of The Talon. He didn't have a clear idea of what he was doing there, but he had a feeling it was to talk to someone about something very important. It was after he ordered his usual latte that he noticed his friend Chloe Sullivan sitting alone in a booth near the door. He quickly approached her and sat down.

"Clark." She said with a surprised look on her face. "Uh… what are you doing here?"

Clark frowned slightly at the anxious look that had suddenly replaced her surprise. "I'm just getting a coffee. Don't worry, there will still be some left for you to hoard whenever you get a craving."

Chloe shot him an exasperated look coupled with a sigh. Clark noticed that her attention wasn't fully on him… or a story, which was usually the case. Instead, her eyes were darting to the door every ten seconds and she couldn't concentrate on their conversation.

"Chloe? Earth to Chloe! What's up with you today? You have your coffee right in front of you, so this isn't a caffeine-deprived state…" Clark trailed off as Chloe suddenly straightened up and smiled at something just over Clark's left shoulder. He turned his head and saw Lex Luthor, heir to billions, walk through The Talon's double doors.

"Clark. Chloe." He nodded in introduction as he sat down at Chloe's side. Clark furrowed his brow in confusion. Whenever Lex sat with them, he usually sat next to Clark. What had suddenly caused this change? Clark also didn't like the giddy smiles on both of their faces and the arm that Lex had casually thrown over Chloe's shoulders.

"What's up, Lex?" Clark continued casually, hoping that an explanation for their strange behaviour would work it's way out during their conversation.

"Not much, Clark. And you?" Clark hoped his face wasn't as red as it felt as Lex reached out with his hand and stroked the side of Chloe's face. He was even angrier at the fact that she seemed to enjoy it.

"What is going on with you two?!?" He finally cried when he noticed that Chloe was leaning heavily against Lex's frame.

Lex shot a glance at Chloe, who sighed, then nodded. Lex turned back to Clark. "Chloe and I… well, during your Lana phase, we bonded and now…" He trailed off, leaving Clark with a good idea of exactly how close Lex and Chloe had become.

He couldn't believe the emotions that were coursing through him at that moment. Anger, Hurt, Betrayal, Anguish. All of the emotions that he never believed he would be feeling if he knew Chloe were dating someone. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" He didn't bother to hide the hurt in his voice.

Chloe made a small noise of disbelief. "Yeah right. It's impossible to tell you anything unless it has something to do with Lana Lang. The truth of the matter, Clark, is that I have moved on and found a great thing with Lex. I just hope you can be happy for us…"

Clark closed his eyes as the words reverberated inside his head. _Great thing with Lex, I hope you can be happy for us._ He shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the thought. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in his bed with a racing heartbeat.

__

It was only a dream. He sighed deeply. 

****

Chloe Sullivan looked out of the window of the school bus as it roared past the Kent farm. She was looking forward to seeing her handsome best friend first thing in the morning. Instead, she was sitting beside Pete, who was moaning about the latest cheerleader whom he was dating.

"Pete! Chloe. Hasn't. Had. Her. Coffee. I don't have the patience for your girl problems right now." She slumped backwards on the seat and crossed her arms. "Farm Boy is going to be late." She didn't notice the bemused expression on Pete's face as she turned her attention to the passing scenery.

As they stepped off the bus as it idled in front of Smallville High, Chloe saw Clark standing on the front steps talking to none other than Lana Lang. Chloe fumed inwardly. Lana Lang, the most sought after girl in school. Every guy wanted her and every girl wanted to be her… except, Chloe noted with pride, Chloe.

Pete noticed Chloe grinding her teeth and took her arm. "C'mon Chlo, let's go inside."

Chloe gently pushed Pete's hand away and strode ahead of him, chin in the air. She avoided Clark's eye and walked right past him into the school. She felt her cheeks flushing as she thought back to the dream that she had that previous night. It had involved Clark and her alone in the loft and a serious lack of clothing. She wasn't sure that she could look Clark in the eye anymore, let alone talk to him without blushing.

She fumbled with her lock and let out a cry of frustration.

"Chloe." She gulped and turned around slowly. "I've been looking for you."

"Lex? What are you doing here?" She cursed herself for being so rude. "I mean, sorry. What can I do for you?"

He smiled, which, strangely, made her heart flutter. Usually only Clark's smiles made that happen. "I need to talk to you about that article you were going to write about me for The Ledger."

She leaned back against her locker and closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she was shocked to see that Lex had placed his hand just above her shoulder and was leaning against it. She was a little uncomfortable with the limited space between them, yet, didn't want him to move away either.

"Look, I won't write anything that you don't want me to write, okay?" She finally managed.

His voice became low and husky. His smile was charming and warmed her insides. "Write whatever you want, Chloe. I trust you. This is about the interview that we had set up for Saturday afternoon. I have a meeting in Metropolis that I need to get to. Can we reschedule for Saturday night?"

She had wanted to check out a strange occurrence in the woods with Clark and Pete on Saturday night, but decided that this was more important. She opened her mouth to answer when she saw Clark looking suspiciously at them from down the hall. She looked back at Lex, who was still leaning over her. The close proximity made her thoughts fuzzy.

"Okay. Saturday night is fine."

He leaned further in and spoke softly, his mouth next to her ear. "I'll pick you up at 7."

"Where are we going?" She asked straightforwardly.

He chuckled, making her neck tingle. "A restaurant. We can do the interview at my house afterwards. It's only fair for me to take you out since I'll be cutting into your weekend." He pushed off the locker gently and smirked at her weak smile. "I'll see you then, Ms. Sullivan."

Chloe watched as he sauntered down the hallway and stopped briefly to greet Clark, who had a strange expression on his face. She turned back to her locker just as Clark reached her.

"What did Lex want?" Clark asked bluntly. "Because it looked like-"

"I'm doing an interview for The Ledger, Clark." She replied, slightly irritated at his tone. She lightened the mood by playfully slapping his arm. "You'd better watch it or Lana might think you're jealous." She heard Clark laugh nervously after she turned to put her books in her locker.

"Chloe… can I… we need to talk about…" He mumbled something that sounded like 'dream' and Chloe turned pale.

"Dream? Did you just say dream?" She started panicking; wondering if she had started babbling on the bus to Pete unknowingly or whether meteor rocks were somehow involved and her thoughts and dreams were relayed across the town.

"Yeah… and I want to know if it's true, because…" He looked like he was going to say something else, but he didn't, so Chloe slammed her locker shut and started walking to homeroom.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about, so either spill or keep talking nonsense."

Clark stalled her with a hand on her shoulder and a **very** surprising question. "Are you dating Lex?"

She didn't know why the question bothered her so much. Maybe it was because of the way Lex had affected her only minutes earlier, or the fact that Clark was acting very unClark-like, or because she hadn't had her morning caffeine fix. It might have been a combination of the three that made her shove his hand off her shoulder and narrow her eyes.

"I told you that it was an interview Clark. What the hell is up with you today?" She spat out before turning on her heel and walking down the hall, leaving a very confused and somewhat hurt Clark Kent in her wake.

****

Clark was just heading out of the school at the end of the day in a miserable mood. Chloe had avoided him the entire day and wouldn't talk to either him or Pete about what had happened this morning.

"Clark!" A voice yelled at him from down the hall.

Clark spun around, hoping to see Chloe making her way towards him. He was surprised, but glad to see Lana walking his way.

"Hi Lana. What's up?" He tried to grin when she finally caught up to him.

She brushed a non-existent hair from her face. "Oh, nothing much. Are you okay? You've been kind of off all day. Something wrong?"

He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it with her, but no one else had offered their sympathy. "Yeah, kind of. I saw Lex and Chloe in the hallway together."

She looked at him patiently. "Well, she is doing a piece on him for The Ledger. They were probably just setting up an interview."

"Maybe. But Lex was leaning over her and… I don't know. I felt kind of weird. Chloe got kind of mad at me, too. I also had this dream that Lex and Chloe were dating and now I'm afraid it's going to come true." He said finally, exasperated.

Lana peered into his face, confused. "Why would you be afraid of Chloe dating Lex? He's not a bad person and he seems to like her."

"Exactly. Why does **he** like **her**? It doesn't make sense."

Lana suppressed a smile. "Okay, Clark. I really wouldn't say that to Chloe if I were you. I have a feeling it will get you into more trouble." She watched him rub a hand over his face to clear his thoughts. "Anyway, I wanted to know if I could borrow you on Saturday night to help me move in the new shipment for The Talon. I need someone strong who has experience with lifting heavy boxes."

Clark beamed. "Sure. What time?"

"About eight."

"Okay, I'll see you- oh shoot. Chloe said something about checking out the woods on Saturday night… oh well. I'm sure she won't mind. You need my help more than she does." He smiled again. "I'll see you then, Lana."

"Great."

****

"Chloe! There's someone at the door for you!" Gabe Sullivan yelled to his daughter, who was listening to what he called "angry girl music" at a volume that rattled the windows. When there was no reply, he ascended the staircase and knocked on her door.

"What?" She yelled over the music.

"Turn off the music please, Chloe. I can't hear myself think."

The windows stopped rattling and Chloe opened her bedroom door. "Sorry, Dad. I had a bad day."

"There's someone at the door for you."

Chloe furrowed her brow, but went to the staircase and stopped dead. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Chloe, come down, please." Clark pleaded from the foot of the stairs. "I'm really sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to jump to conclusions, I just… had this dream."

Chloe sighed, then went downstairs and led him outside. "What dream?" She asked as she sat in the porch swing.

Clark remained standing, then began pacing. "I had a dream last night that you and Lex had started dating, but kept it a secret from me. And when I saw you and him this morning, it was just… weird, you know?" He finished, plopping down beside her on the swing.

Chloe nodded. "Was that all you came over here for?"

Clark pulled himself out of his thoughts and turned towards her. "Uh, no. I can't come with you to investigate the woods on Saturday night." He expected her to reply with a question inquiring what he was doing instead. He felt guilty about ditching her and Pete for Lana, but hoped that Chloe would understand.

"That's okay. I was going to tell you that I couldn't go anyway. I'd better tell Pete that we'll have to do it some other time." She mentally noted.

Clark's eyes went wide. "What? Why can't you go?"

Chloe smiled inwardly at his reaction. "Not like it's any of your business, but I'm going out… with Lex."

Clark tried to hide his hurt. He didn't even know why he was feeling hurt. It was Chloe, for heaven's sake. "Oh."

"Yeah." They sat in an uncomfortable silence for what seemed like an excruciating long time, before Chloe broke the tension. "So what are you doing instead?"

Clark decided that he wouldn't feel guilty anymore. If Chloe was going out with Lex that night, he could certainly not lie about helping Lana. "I'm helping Lana move boxes at The Talon." He replied proudly.

"What about Whitney?"

Clark hadn't even thought of him. "I don't know. I guess he was busy."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Clark," she said, somewhat exasperated, "you need to pull yourself out of the Lana-induced haze every so often and experience the real world." She got up from the porch swing and went inside, slamming the door behind her.


	2. Chapter Two

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Betty or Veronica?

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own these characters. If I did, Lana wouldn't wear pink clothing… ever, Clark would go shirtless more often and Chloe would rule the school.

****

"Honey, you look great. Calm down." Gabe Sullivan reassured his daughter as she frantically tried to stuff her tape recorder and clipboard into her tiny purse.

"Dad. How can I be calm? He'll be here in ten minutes and my hair has decided to resemble horns!" Chloe went to the mirror for the twentieth time in five minutes and tried to fix her hair.

Gabe caught her hands in his own just as the doorbell rang. "Remember Chloe, Lex Luthor is my boss. Don't insult him."

Chloe smiled at her dad's words. "Dad. Don't worry. This is me here!"

"That's what I'm worried about." Gabe mumbled before he opened the door. "Clark! What are you doing here? I mean, how are you, son?"

Chloe's eyes almost popped out. _What the hell is _**he**_ doing here? I look like a horned Miss Teen Poverty USA Pageant dropout. Calm, Chloe, calm. It doesn't matter what I look like. He only has eyes for Lana anyway._ Chloe smiled when she saw Clark at the door. She mistook the look on his face for a look of horror. "What? Do I look that bad?" She unconsciously touched her hair.

"N..n..no, Chloe. You look…God, amazing." Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Well, thanks. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be drooling over Lana on the premise of helping her move boxes?" She was actually quite flattered by Clark's reaction. She wished he would notice her more, horns or not. She hoped her outfit looked professional enough for Lex's taste. She had decided to wear a long black skirt with a crimson red blouse. She had pulled her hair back away from her face and added just a touch of makeup.

"Actually, I just wanted to see you… you know, before your date." He hoped it didn't sound as lame to her as it did to him.

Chloe gave him a look. "Uh… okay. You know it's not a date, though." She noticed a sleek silver Porsche pull into her driveway. "Crap! He's here. Oh God. Dad, do I look okay?"

"For the last time, Chloe. You look fine."

"Yeah, Chlo. You look great." Clark added with a beaming smile on his face. Chloe felt her knees go weak and felt a similar smile grace her face.

"Clark, what a nice surprise." Lex greeted his friend in a smooth voice. If he wondered what he was doing there, he didn't show it. He trained his eyes on Chloe. "Why, Ms. Sullivan, you look absolutely stunning."

Clark gulped when he noticed a light blush creep into Chloe's cheeks. He couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed that his best friend was so beautiful. The red of her shirt contrasted nicely with the honey-blond of her hair. When she first appeared at the door, he was at a loss for words. All he could do was stare at the Chloe that he had never noticed because of his infatuation for Lana.

He watched as Lex took Chloe's hand and lifted it to his lips. "Shall we, Chloe?"

"Bye Dad." Chloe kissed her father on the cheek. "I won't be too late." She looked at Clark and smiled sadly. "Bye Clark. Have fun with Lana." Lex and Chloe got into the car and drove away.

"Well, I'd better get to The Talon. Bye Mr. Sullivan." Clark said to Gabe, watching the Porsche disappear.

"Bye Clark."

****

Clark placed the last of the boxes on top of the counter at The Talon. "That's the last one, Lana."

Lana popped up from behind the counter and opened the box. She pulled out some bags of coffee and smiled at Clark. "Want to try some? It's a new blend from Switzerland or something."

Clark grinned. "Sure." For the hundredth time that night, he thought about what Lex and Chloe were doing at that exact moment. He trusted Chloe, but sometimes, on very rare occasions, he wasn't too sure about Lex's intentions. They had kept reassuring him that it was just an interview, but the way Chloe had dressed… it seemed like more. "I wonder what Chloe and Lex are doing right now?"

He saw a flicker of impatience flash over Lana's face and immediately regretted his question.

"Why don't you call her and find out? They're probably just over at Lex's doing the interview." Lana handed him a cup of coffee and sat down in a booth.

Clark smiled. They were the only ones in the coffeehouse and the lights were dimmed. He sat down beside her and grinned.

"Thanks for helping me with the boxes Clark." She looked up at him and he gulped. To distract himself, he took a drink of his coffee.

"Mm, this is good. Where'd it come from?"

Lana looked like she had to mentally shake herself to get back to the present. "Um, Switzerland or something." She sipped from her cup and then looked back up at Clark. "Why are you so preoccupied with Chloe? She can take care of herself."

"Yeah, I know. It's Lex that I'm worried about."

Lana laughed. "You want to protect Lex from Chloe?"

Clark's eyes went wide. "No! I want to protect Chloe from Lex. She's too young to get involved with him. It doesn't seem right." He furrowed his brow and sighed heavily. "And the way she was dressed tonight, I dunno… she looked… good. And she usually doesn't dress up just to interview someone, you know?" He turned to Lana and saw she was staring into her coffee.

"You like her, don't you?" She asked softly.

"Of course. She's my best friend." Clark answered simply, wondering what would provoke her to ask that kind of question.

Lana looked into his eyes steadily, then smiled. "Right. If you're so worried about her, why don't you call her?"

Clark smiled. "No, you're right. I'm probably just overreacting. They're probably just doing the interview at Lex's." Lana smiled back and they drank the rest of their coffees in a comfortable silence with Clark still pondering what was happening between Lex and Chloe.

****

"Chloe, have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" Lex asked gently while they sat in the back of his limo after having dinner at a swanky restaurant in Metropolis. Chloe was sitting with her legs crossed and Lex was lightly resting his hand on her arm.

"Yes, Lex. You've told me about a dozen times, but thank you anyway." She blushed slightly at his compliment. Clark never complimented her… until today of course. Strange, she didn't know why Clark told her that today. 

Lex turned slightly towards her and put his hand on her upper arm. "Chloe, did you have a good time tonight?"

She lifted her eyebrows in disbelief. "Lex, you just took me to the classiest restaurant in Metropolis where the appetizers cost more than my car. Of course I had a good time. But," She saw his smile sink a little, "I do have an interview to conduct, so be ready for the hard questions."

He grinned mischievously and she felt her stomach flip over. "Oh, so you're saying the fun ends here."

She grinned back. "Not necessarily."

They arrived at Luthor mansion and went into his office. She was prepared to do the interview at his desk, with him sitting him behind and her in front, but he surprised her by ushering her into the leather couch.

"I think you'll find this infinitely more comfortable." He took off his charcoal jacket and leaned back against the armrest. "Fire away."

She got her tape recorder out of her purse and set it on the table beside her. She then sat down and faced him, feeling extremely nervous. She had never been alone with Lex in his house before. Clark had always been with her, hovering over her shoulder.

"Please tell me a bit about your childhood, Mr. Luthor."

"You can call me Lex and my childhood was somewhat abnormal, I would think. My mother died when I was young and my father was overpowering, yet unloving, still is, actually." He stopped, volunteering no other information.

Chloe nodded, then asked, "How did you come to Smallville, Lex?"

He smiled, remembering a past event. "Well, in my teenage years I was a bit of a troublemaker, going to clubs and drinking too much, so my father sent me out here to teach me a lesson. He didn't believe that I could actually turn this plant around to make a profit." He shifted in his seat and Chloe noticed he was a touch closer than he had been before.

"What made you stay in Smallville?" She asked, not only for the interview, but to indulge her own curiosity.

He looked up at her and shrugged. "To show my father I could do it and I've found myself to be in good company here. I have a few good friends… one that I think could be more…" He trailed off, looking into her eyes. She gulped before reaching to turn off the tape recorder.

"Um, maybe I should-"

She was cut off as he reached out to gently stroke her cheek.

"Chloe, you're beautiful." He cupped her cheek and shifted closer.

She bit her bottom lip. This wasn't right. He was too old for her and she wasn't his type. What was he doing? Didn't he know about her crush on Clark? He had talked about it with her before, did he suddenly forget? Or was he trying to compete with Clark? What was going on? "Lex, this isn't a good idea-"

Her words died there as he leaned in and kissed her on the mouth.

It only lasted a handful of seconds because Chloe gently pushed him away and shook her head. She froze as she noticed the tall, dark-haired figure in the doorway. "Clark."

Lex turned around and gaped at his friend. "Clark… I thought you were helping Lana tonight."

Clark just stood in the doorway with a hurt expression on his face. "You said it was just an interview, Chlo."

Chloe felt her heart break at the sound of his voice. A part of her felt really guilty because it looked like she had lied to him. But a larger part of her felt angry at his reaction. "Clark, just because Lex happened to notice that I'm a girl and you haven't yet doesn't obligate me to feel guilty about what just happened."

Clark opened and closed his mouth a few times before saying softly, "I noticed that you were a girl, Chlo. I guess I just noticed it too late." He turned on his heel and left.

She put her head in her hands and sighed. She felt Lex put an arm around her and his soothing voice in her ear. "It's okay, Chloe." She leaned against him and felt a tear run down her cheek. "Chloe, I'm so sorry about-"

She abruptly stood up and put her tape recorder in her bag. "I think the interview's over. Thank you, Mr. Luthor." She wiped at her eyes and went to the door.

She was surprised by the hand that stopped her from leaving. "Chloe." Lex placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "You can't just run out of here and pretend nothing happened."

Chloe nodded slowly then put a hand to her forehead, as if the situation was causing her head pains. "I know, but… this can't work, Lex. I'm sorry, but I thought you knew that I… I'm in love with… someone else. Plus, with our age difference, it's just too weird."

"I'm sorry, Chloe. I did know that you liked Clark, I was just stupid." He smiled, trying to lighten the situation. "I was overcome by your feminine charms."

She grinned, then laughed. "Yeah. Right." She stood in front of him for a few seconds, then smiled softly. "I should probably go… oh god. What am I going to say to Clark?"

"Tell him the truth, Chloe. He'll probably be really angry for a while, but I think your friendship is more important to him than this."

She thanked him, then kissed him on the cheek. "Maybe we'll continue the interview some other time." He opened the door to the limo that would take her home and she sat in the backseat, wondering what to do about Clark's feelings.

****

"Clark?"

He jumped, sending his telescope into a spin. Catching it lightly, he pointed it back up towards the stars. "I'm up here." He smiled when Lana came up the stairs of the loft.

"Hey Clark. How are Chloe and Lex? Still doing the interview?" She sat down on the beaten-up couch.

He grumbled. "More like each other."

"What?"

He turned away from her so she couldn't see how much the words hurt him. "I caught them kissing." He felt the pain burn inside him once again, wondering how he could ever talk to Chloe again.

"Oh… I… well, I guess I'm happy for them, then." Lana was internally ecstatic, as she knew about Chloe's crush on Clark. She knew now that there would be no competition for Clark if he ever decided to make a move.

Clark spun around, not caring whether she noticed his tears or not. "Happy? But, it's wrong! They don't belong together!" He gave up, flopping down on the couch beside her and running a hand over his face. "What am I going to do, Lana?"

She put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to open his eyes and stare at her. He knew that he shouldn't be thinking what he was thinking or doing what he was about to do, but he did it all the same.

Lana's eyes opened wide in surprise as Clark's lips found hers. She then closed her eyes as she began to kiss him back. He held her waist and she ran her hands through his thick black hair.

A slightly strangled noise made them both pull away. Clark's face went pale with shock as he noticed Chloe standing at the top of the stairs with her arms folded.

"God, you're such a hypocrite, Clark." As she turned to retreat, Clark saw her face was wet with tears. She had been crying while he had been sitting, oblivious to her presence, kissing Lana.

Clark leapt from his seat and bounded down the stairs after her. "Chloe, wait!" He caught up with her just as she was getting into her car.

"Save it, Clark. I'm happy for you, really. You've wanted this for a while now." Chloe told him in a monotone voice. She had been practicing this speech for a while now, hoping that she would never have to use it. "You guys belong together, Clark. Now, if you'll excuse me…" She went to close the door when he caught her hand.

"Chloe…" She ripped her hand out of his grasp and looked up at him.

"Look, Clark, I screwed up tonight, okay? I don't have feelings for Lex, he just did it without any notice whatsoever, so whatever you were thinking about us or are still thinking about us, it's way off, okay? I'm sorry." She shut the door and started the car, ignoring his pleas for her to listen to him. She put her foot on the gas and drove away, stone-faced.

Clark flung his arms down in frustration. He watched her taillights recede into the night and let out a cry of rage.

"Clark?" He spun around and saw Lana leaving the barn. "What was that about?"

He sighed, then wrung his hands through his hair. "I… she's mad at me."

Lana chuckled and Clark felt hurt by her laughter. He had just fought with his best friend, who he was starting to have feelings for, and Lana was grinning like an idiot.

"Yeah, I kind of got that feeling. Why are you guys fighting? You usually get along so well. Is it because her and Lex are dating?" She began walking towards her house and Clark followed, wanting to clear up any confusion.

"No, she made that adamantly clear. He kissed her without any warning or anything and she doesn't have any feelings for him. And now I feel like I've screwed everything up between us."

They reached Lana's front door and she turned to face him.

"Look, Clark, I don't know what that kiss was about up in the barn, but…" Clark waited for the 'let's just be friends' chat or the 'I have a boyfriend' talk. "… I really liked it."

She leaned into him and kissed his lips. He was frozen for a second before he pulled away.

"What about Whitney?"

She lifted one corner of her mouth in a half smile before sighing heavily. "We're not really dating anymore… he's had some issues since his brother had that accident and I can't stand the fact that he's so overprotective. We've been drifting apart for a few weeks now."

Clark was now in inner turmoil. The girl of his dreams just admitted that her boyfriend and her had broken up and they had kissed twice in one hour. On the other hand, his best friend who he had started to see as more than a friend, probably wasn't speaking to him and had seen him kissing said girl of his dreams. He thought he would have felt differently in this situation; happy, surprised, and possibly even a little scared. Instead, he felt confused, hesitant and very, very guilty.

He stepped back from Lana and chewed on his bottom lip. "Look, Lana. I don't want to rush into this or anything… I need to think for a while, okay?"

"But… I thought…" She furrowed her brow, then asked him something that made his face go beet red. "Haven't you had a crush on me for a while?"

Clark gulped at the lump that had formed in his throat. He had had a crush on her, and possibly still did have a crush on her, but the image of Chloe crying as she got into her car just kept coming to him. "Well… yeah, but-"

"Then what's the problem, Clark?" Lana asked as she descended the steps to stand in front of him again. "I'm sorry if it seemed like I never noticed, but I did and the wait's over." She smiled and he felt the pain in his heart disappear. She tilted her head and kissed him again. "Good night Clark." She winked at him before she went inside.

Clark sped back to his "Fortress of Solitude" and went up into the loft.

"Congratulations, Clark. You finally got through to the cheerleader." Lex stood in front of the window with his hand on the telescope.

"How much did you see?" Clark sat down on the couch, trying to forget the confusing situation he was now in.

Lex grinned. "Not much. Just the goodnight kiss." His grin disappeared and he paced in front of Clark. "But I'm not here to discuss your newfound relationship. What you saw tonight was a mistake, Clark. Both Chloe and I realized that and it was my-"

"I know. She came over here and told me." Clark then remembered the look on Chloe's face as she witnessed Lana and his kiss. "I think I screwed up our friendship, though."

Lex stopped pacing and looked at Clark in confusion. "How so?"

"She walked in on Lana and I kissing." Clark didn't even bother to disguise the break in his voice. "The look on her face was just… it broke my heart, Lex."

"She cares about you a lot, Clark. The question is whether you care about her as well." Lex sat next to Clark on the couch and crossed his legs casually.

"Of course I do, but…"

"What about Lana? That's the next big question, Clark. Are you willing to give up what you just got with Lana to pursue something with Chloe?"

"I… I don't know." This conversation was just making Clark more confused.

"It's the age old question, Clark." Lex got up from the couch and brushed off his jacket. "Will Archie choose Betty or Veronica?" He gave Clark a wink, then left the barn.

Clark put his head in his hands and groaned. Lana or Chloe? Or, as Lex put it, Betty or Veronica? He got up and strode to the telescope. He focused the sights on Lana's house and saw her standing in her room, wearing one of her many pink sweaters and looking in the mirror with a pleased look on her face. He smiled slightly, then swung the telescope towards Chloe's house. He saw her sitting on her porch with a mug of coffee and a box of tissues in her hands. Her father came out of the house and gave her a hug, then helped her inside the house. She disappeared from view, so Clark swung the telescope back to Lana's house. Nell was in the room with her and they were sitting on Lana's bed talking. He didn't know what they were talking about, but Nell looked anxious and Lana looked impatient. Clark looked back at Chloe's house and saw her in her bedroom, looking at her photo album. She still had the box of tissues next to her and wiped her eyes occasionally. She slammed the album shut and burst into tears, turning off the light next to her bed.

They were two very different people and Clark cared for them both. He sat up in the barn the rest of the night, thinking about the two girls in his life.


	3. Chapter Three

****

Betty or Veronica?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, I just like putting them in warm, fuzzy situations. If I did own them, Clark would do my bidding, Lana would stop moaning about her stupid parents and Chloe would rule all.

****

"Chloe! How are you? How was your date on Saturday?" Pete threw a casual arm over his blonde friend's shoulder as they walked down the hall. "Can you please tell me which guy got you to finally give up on our oblivious friend Clark?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "It was not a date, Pete and it was Lex. He kissed me."

Pete grabbed Chloe by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Wha? No way, Chlo. Why would Lex kiss you?"

"Well thank you very much, Mr. Blunt Insult." She pushed him and went into the Torch office. Pete followed, offering a multitude of apologies. "It's okay, Pete. It was a mistake, both Lex and I know that, kay?"

He nodded slowly, then looked at her cautiously before saying, "Seen Clark this morning?" He knew the two friends hadn't spoken to each other, but didn't know the reason for it.

Chloe avoided his eyes as she booted up her computer. "No." She clicked on a few files for the upcoming edition of the Torch, then asked in a forced casual tone, "Why?"

Pete shrugged. "Just wondering. He was looking for you yesterday."

Chloe's head shot up, then, just as quickly, ducked behind her computer. "Really? Well… I don't really want to speak to him right now."

"Does he know that Lex kissed you?" Pete knew the whole story from Clark's point of view, but was interested in what Chloe had to say.

"Um, yes?" She stated simply, then, at seeing Pete's inquisitive face, she elaborated. "He kind of walked in on it. But Lex pounced on me! I had no choice!"

Pete put his hands up to say 'Okay, enough', then asked, "Okay, so then what did he do?"

"He just walked out. I went over to the loft to apologize and saw him sucking face with Lana!" Chloe burst out angrily. She started punching the keys in an attempt to vent her frustration. Pete took her hands and looked at her compassionately. "Pete, why did it have to be Lana?" She felt the tears coming again, so she ducked her head from his view and mumbled the rest of her words. "I can't hate her, she doesn't deserve it. I can't hate him because I love the stupid dummy."

"I know, Chlo."

She felt Pete's hug and returned it full force. "It just hurts, you know?" She pulled away, composing herself, then wiped her eyes and laughed a little. "God, I'm a mess. So… are they parading their love around like every new couple should?"

Pete was about to answer when the office door burst open and Clark walked in.

"Chloe… I've been looking for you everywhere."

"This is my cue to leave." Pete stated with a raise of his eyebrows.

"No, Pete. It's okay. I have something to say to Clark anyway and then I need to go to class." Chloe stood up and got her books together.

"Chloe, I need to tell you-"

"I guess you were right, Clark." Chloe interrupted, knowing she wouldn't get through what she needed to say after he poured on about his new girlfriend. "Maybe we're better off being friends."

Clark's mouth hung open as Chloe brushed past him and out of the door. "Chloe!" He yelled after her. He rushed into the hallway only to bump into Lana.

"Hey you." She kissed him lightly, not noticing that he looked past her to look for Chloe in the crowded hall. "What's wrong?"

He forced a smile. "Nothing." He put an arm around her shoulders and walked her to class.

****

Chloe sat at a lunch table and pushed at her food. "I think the new addition to the Wall of Weird is going to be the food at this cafeteria. What does this look like to you?" She speared a gray glob on her fork and held it up for Pete to look at.

"A big loogie?"

Chloe pulled a face and Pete laughed. She shoved her plate away from her and stood up. "Ah, the vending machine calls to me, Pete. Maybe it will have something remotely edible." As she crossed the lunchroom, she heard Pete cry "Not likely!"

She grinned, then froze as she saw Lana and Clark walking towards her, hand in hand. She forced herself to smile.

"Hey guys."

Lana grinned. "Hey Chloe, where's your lunch?"

Chloe then figured that they would sit with Pete, thus sitting with her, causing her to puke in disgust into her gray globs. "Um, I'm actually not that hungry, so I'm going to work on the Torch for the rest of lunch. See ya!" She bolted out of the cafeteria and reached the Torch office in a matter of seconds.

Pete caught up with her a few minutes later and just looked at her in disbelief. "Chloe, you can't run away from them all the time. You're just going to have to get over it."

"Arg! I know! That's the sad part. I've known for a while that Clark's never going to notice me **that** way, so I should just get over it, but it's hard, Pete. I can't play the field… who the hell would be attracted to me? I'm just an overcaffeinated psychopath with crazy clothing and an affinity towards meteor freaks!"

"That guy in our English class thinks you're hot."

Chloe spun around so fast that she knocked herself off balance and Pete had to catch her. "You're kidding. Who?"

"The new guy. He's on the football team."

"No. No way. I don't go for jocks, Pete."

"Yeah, just dopey flannel-wearing farmboys. How would you know whether he's a typical jock, Chlo? You don't even know him."

"Well, does he have a name or do you just call him 'dude'?" She replied sarcastically.

"Sam something or other. All the girls are going gaga for him. I can't get a date anymore." Pete whined.

"You couldn't get a date anyway, Pete. What's he look like?"

"Tallish, dark blonde hair. I don't know, nice-looking I guess." Pete replied. "So should I give him your number? Give him the green light?"

"Whatever Pete. If he turns out to be an asshole, I will cause you bodily harm."

Pete grinned. "Yeah, right, you little pipsqueak." He ducked as a plastic cup flew at his head.

****

"You what?"

"What?"

"I repeat, you what?"

"What is so unbelievable about this?"

"But… you don't like jocks."

"Well, I guess I don't really know him, so I can't judge him… yet."

"Who is this guy?"

"Clark, calm down… jeez."

"Is this the same guy who talked about touchdowns as his paper for English?"

"No! What? I don't think so…"

"When are you going out with him?"

"Friday."

"That's my mom's birthday! Weren't you going to come over with Pete so we could all celebrate?"

"Well, invite Lana. I'm sure she'll go with you… she is your girlfriend."

"…"

"Clark, can you please just be happy that someone figured out that I am a girl and am somewhat attractive?"

"…"

"You can stop staring in disbelief now, Clark. I'm not a frikking alien, you know. Just because someone is interested in me doesn't mean the world is going to end."

"…"

"Clark, if you don't close your mouth right now, I'm leaving…"

"…"

"Fine."

"…"

****

Chloe had successfully ignored all of the PDA sessions that Clark and Lana shared in the hallways the entire week. She was actually getting excited for her date and was glad for Friday to arrive. She had been worried about Clark's attitude towards her date, but after the conversation that took place on Wednesday, she decided that she didn't really care because he had acted so childish.

"Hi, Chloe?" She turned around and saw the guy from her English class standing in front of her with a rose in his hand. "This is for you…" He handed it to her, then cleared his throat nervously. "Um, I'm Sam, by the way… Sam Kilroy."

Chloe's face lit up in a wide smile. "I know… you're in my English class." She smelled the rose in her hand and felt dizzy at the scent. "Thank you so much."

He grinned, which helped to hide some of the blush that had appeared on his cheeks. "So, I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Oh, yeah. Do you need directions to my house?"

He looked embarrassed again. "No, I… know where it is." He said it in such a way that Chloe had a feeling that he had driven by a few times in hopes of seeing her. "I'll see you then. Bye." He kissed her gently on the cheek, which caused her to blush furiously, and walked away down the hall.

"I saw that, Ms. Sullivan." Pete stuck his head out of the Torch office and grinned.

"You snoop." Chloe walked past him and sat at the computer. She waited for a few minutes, then burst out in a smile. "He's so cute, Pete! Look, he gave me a rose!" She was showing it to him when Clark entered the office.

"What'd you have that for?"

She smiled smugly. "Sam gave it to me. Isn't he sweet?" She smelled it again, then almost passed out with the smell. "Oh, head rush."

"I gave you a rose once, remember?" Clark asked, sitting on the couch.

Chloe smiled, remembering that day. She had fallen down the steps in the loft and he had rushed her to the house, his mother getting something to clean her cuts off with. He had given her a rose to help her forget the pain. She had kept that rose in a jar beside her desk at home until it was withered and brown. "Yeah." She pulled herself out of her thoughts and spun in her chair. She gathered enough courage to ask, "How's life in Lanaland?"

Clark made a face, then shrugged. "Fine. Can't complain, I guess." He thought for a moment, then stood up from the couch. "Pete, can you give us a sec?"

"Sure." Pete threw Chloe a look from behind Clark's shoulder before leaving.

Chloe crossed her arms and stared up at him. "Look, if you're going to try and talk me out of this date, it won't work, okay? As much as I love your mother, I haven't been out on a date since… well, ever."

"No, Chloe-"

"Clark, just shut up, okay? This guy is really nice with no meteor-rock induced tendencies-"

"You don't know that!"

"- And I really like him." She ignored his interruption. "Beside, what do you care? You finally got Lana." She stood up and felt her anger boiling over. "You can't keep doing this, Clark. You can't act all lovey-dovey with Lana one minute, then turn and act all overprotective of me the next! You're with Lana now. If it's not working out, either fix it or break up, but you can't keep doing this to my heart okay? It can't handle it anymore." With that, she stormed out of the office.

****

The two teens pulled into a parking space near the Talon.

"So, you want to go inside?"

"Sure, whatever you want."

"I brought something for you."

"Oh, Sam, they're beautiful. Thank you so much."

"Everyone always says 'take time to stop and smell the roses', Chloe. Go ahead."

"… I love that- hmm, head rush. I can't see so well, Sam… uhhh…."

"Sweet dreams, bitch."


	4. Chapter Four

****

Betty or Veronica?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. If I did, Lex would kick Lionel's butt, Lana would realize she's not the centre of the universe and Chloe would grab the bull by the horns and tell Clark how she feels.

****

Pete watched from Clark's kitchen window as his parents came up the walkway. "Okay, they're coming…"

The door opened and Pete, Lana and Clark yelled, "Surprise!"

"Oh! Kids, thank you so much!" Martha Kent cried joyfully at their display.

Clark narrowed his eyes. "You knew."

Martha bit her lip. "Um, a bit, yes." She laughed. "Jonathan can't keep a secret."

"Hey, don't go blaming it on me, you snooped around until you found the cake."

The five sat down at the table and Jonathan served dinner.

"Where's Chloe?" Martha asked, wondering where the spunky blonde was. She was always here to celebrate with the Kents, no matter what occasion.

"She's on a date, mom." Clark replied, his head ducked as he ate his food. "I guess we weren't at the top of her list this time."

Pete flung down his fork in frustration at his friend's attitude. "Clark, stop acting like such a baby. She's a big girl, she can take care of herself."

****

Chloe tried to open her eyes. They felt heavy and she remembered the flowers and Sam. The flowers had obviously had some sort of drug in them. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the sky, dark with night. What time was it? She tried to look at her watch, when she realized that her hands had been tied to something behind her head. She was on her back, with her hands tied, in the middle of what appeared to be a field, and Sam was nowhere to be found.

She screamed long and loud, hoping someone would hear her. Was he just going to leave her there? Where had he gone? She mentally kicked herself for her trust in him. She had been hoping that this date would make Clark jealous, but that obviously hadn't worked. Now she was at the mercy of someone who she had seriously misjudged.

"Tsk tsk, Chloe. Keep making that noise and you won't get your surprise." Sam walked into view and stood over her.

"Where are we?"

"It's better that you not know, Sullivan. It makes it easier."

"Easier for what? You to keep drugging girls and taking them here for God knows what? Easier if I don't spill your dirty little secret?"

Sam shook his head with a smug smile on his face and leaned down to put a blindfold on her. 

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, you'll find out in a second."

Then Chloe heard one of the most frightening sounds of her teenage life. The sound of a belt being unbuckled.

****

"Something's wrong." Clark said with a mouthful of cake.

"What? You picked it out, Clark." Lana smiled before kissing him on the cheek. He stood up briskly and went towards the door. "Clark!'

He turned around and look at his two friends. His parents had gone out to the barn to 'celebrate' and left the three teens to themselves.

"What's wrong, Clark?" Pete stood up as well and walked towards his friend, thoroughly concerned.

"I think Chloe's in trouble." Clark replied before he ran out of the house. He ran until the coast was clear, then used his superspeed to get to Chloe's house.

"Mr. Sullivan, is Chloe here?"

"No, I'm sorry, Clark. She went out tonight with a boy." Gabe grumbled a bit. He didn't like the look of Sam at all and wished that Clark would smarten up.

"Do you know where they went?"

"They said they were going to the Talon for coffee, but they might have left-" Clark was down the stairs and out of sight before Gabe could finish his sentence.

Clark sped by the school, but stopped to a halt as he noticed a car in the parking lot. Who would be at the school this late at night? And it wasn't the principal's car. He tried opening the school's front doors and found them locked. He walked around the back, near the entrance to the gym and found the door had been pried open. He went inside and thought he saw movement out on the football field.

He was at the top of the bleachers when he heard a scream from the far end of the field. "Chloe…" He whispered before sprinting down the stairs and onto the field. He saw Sam standing over top of Chloe, who seemed like she couldn't move her arms. He saw that her hands had been tied to one of the goalposts. He watched in horror as he saw Sam put a blindfold over her eyes, then move his hands to undo his belt buckle.

His vision was blurred as he filled with rage. He sped over to them and tapped Sam on the shoulder. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Clark?" Chloe cried from the ground.

Sam went to punch Clark, but ended up with a fist in his face that sent him sprawling on the ground.

"Chloe, it's okay. I'm here now, you're alright." He bent down and untied her hands from the goalpost. She tore off the blindfold and started crying as she saw Clark sitting in front of her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." She repeated through her tears and flung her arms around his neck. He stroked her hair lovingly as he hugged her tightly.

"Clark!" He pulled back and saw horror reflected in her eyes. He looked over his shoulder and saw Sam swing a large knife towards his face. Clark pushed Chloe down and covered her as the knife came in contact with his back.

The knife shattered in Sam's hand and he jumped back in shock. "What the?"

Clark jumped up and hit Sam in the face. He went limp and fell to the ground. Clark then took the rope Sam had used to tie up Chloe to tie Sam to the goalpost in a similar fashion. He then bent down to look at Chloe again. She sat up and looked at him in disbelief.

"Clark, how are you not hurt? The knife… it hit you." She made him turn around and inspected the rip on the back of his shirt. He shivered slightly as her hands moved over the bare skin underneath the rip. "You don't even have a scratch. How is that possible?"

"Can it wait?"

She sprang up in protest. "No! Clark, if you've been hiding something from me, I want to know about it now so I can kick your ass for not trusting me!"

He took a deep breath and began to explain. "Okay…"

****

Clark gulped at the expression on her face. "Chlo?"

She looked into his eyes and then reached out to touch his face. "So, you're not human. Okay… " She stopped, then bit her lower lip. "That's why you've always been there when we're in trouble. Is that why you can't be around meteor rocks?"

He nodded; still worried about her reaction on finding out that her best friend was an alien. "Are you mad at me?"

Chloe gave him a look that said 'Are you serious?', then laughed. "No, Clark. Of course not. I understand why you didn't tell me. I can be a little nosy at times, but my lips are sealed on this, okay? You don't need to worry."

"I do trust you, Chloe. I was just afraid of what you would think of me if I told you…" He looked at her anxiously. "You're not freaked out, are you?"

"Me? Clark, you're my best friend. I couldn't be freaked out by you… unless of course you started becoming popular and dated a cheerleader… no, wait, that's already happened." She forced out a laugh, then lowered her head.

He reached out with his hands and tipped her head up to maintain eye contact with her. "Are you okay, Chloe?"

She screwed up her face in pain, then hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much, Clark. For always being there for me."

He pulled away from her and wiped a tear from her cheek. "We'll always be friends, right Chloe?"

She nodded, then smiled sadly. "Of course." She wiped her eyes, then spoke before he could get say what he wanted to say. "So, if you're an alien, does that mean you can do stuff that we can't?"

He grinned; glad to have someone to show his powers to. "I have superstrength, superspeed and X-ray vision." He laughed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Chloe… I would never do that… again." He added softly, but she heard it and smacked him on the arm.

"Can I see?" She looked excited at the prospect and he was so glad to see that she wasn't afraid of him that he took her in his arms and sped around the football field twice.

"Whoa." She managed to say when he put her back on her feet.

"Chloe Sullivan, at a loss for words. That's new." He joked, receiving another smack.

"What about your superstrength-" She screeched as Clark lifted her easily over his head. "Put me down, Clark Kent or you will suffer the consequences!" He chuckled, but put her back on the ground.

"Oh really? And what would those consequences be?" He asked in a husky tone. He still held her in his arms and pulled her a bit closer.

"Clark…" She had wanted this for so long. It felt so good to be in his arms, like she was meant to be there. "Where's Lana?"

Clark reluctantly let her go and ran a hand through his hair. "Back at the farm, with Pete and my parents. I knew something was wrong, so I…"

There was a groan from behind them that let them know that Sam was starting to wake up.

"Come on, I'll take you over to the farm and we can have some cake." Clark picked her up and used his speed to get to the farm in a matter of seconds.

****

Pete and Lana jumped up as Clark and Chloe came through the front door.

"Chloe! What happened?" Pete asked, rushing over to his friend. Lana, to Chloe's annoyance, went to Clark and kissed him on the lips.

"The date ended by me getting tied to the football goalpost and Sam trying to rape me!" She exclaimed hurriedly before flopping down into a chair at the table, exhausted.

"What?" Pete and Lana cried together in shock and Clark kneeled in front of Chloe, staring at her with concern lacing his expression.

"Chlo, I swear Clark and I will kick this guy's ass!" Pete grumbled, pacing the floor and making punching actions in the air.

"Are you okay, Chloe?" Lana asked sweetly and Chloe felt guilty about harbouring hateful feelings towards the brunette.

"Yeah, Clark saved me before Sam could do anything." Chloe stared at Clark, who was still kneeling at her feet. He took her hands in his own and stroked them gently.

"Cake?" He asked simply.

She nodded and took the proffered plate with gratitude. He knew she didn't want to talk about it and wanted to take her mind off the whole situation. Pete and Lana weren't making it easy, as Pete was muttering threats and Lana was hovering over Chloe, suggesting talking about it would make Chloe feel better.

Clark decided to send them home, telling them that he needed to talk to her by herself. He kissed Lana on the cheek and told her that he would speak to her later. She looked at him worriedly, then seemed to understand what he was trying to say and smiled sadly.

"Well, now that we're alone, I need to tell you something… something I wanted to tell you before, but-"

"Clark, you already told me that you were an alien." She leaned over and whispered with a smile.

"What? Clark! How could you be so careless?"

Clark sighed as his parents wandered into the kitchen just in time to overhear Chloe's comment. "Mom, Dad, it's okay."

"Mr. Kent, Mrs. Kent, I just want you to know that Clark's secret is safe with me. I won't tell anyone."

Martha Kent smiled, then hugged Chloe. "Oh, we know, sweetie. We trust you, but if anyone ever found out that you knew, they might-"

"I'll be fine, Mrs. Kent, don't worry." Chloe grinned. "I'm pretty strong when I need to be."

Jonathan Kent smiled, glad that his son didn't need to hide his abilities from his closest friend anymore.


	5. Chapter Five

****

Betty or Veronica?

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. If I did, Whitney wouldn't act so gay, Lana would get her butt kicked by Chloe and Clark would be revered as a god.

A/N: Sadly, this is the last part. Hope you enjoyed the warm fuzzies!

****

"Well, I should go home…" Chloe got up from the couch after the four of them had spoken for a few hours. Chloe found out when and how the Kents found Clark and how they dealt with the development of his abilities.

"I'll walk you home." Clark got up as well and Chloe thanked the Kents for their hospitality.

They walked in silence until Chloe turned to Clark and grinned. "So how come no superspeed now?"

Clark stopped and looked down at his hands. "I needed to talk to you and walking you to your house was a good opportunity for us to talk."

"What about?" Chloe began walking again, worried about what the topic of the conversation would be.

"Betty or Veronica?" Clark mumbled to himself.

Chloe laughed, overhearing his comment. "Ah, the age old question that comic lovers the world over have asked themselves."

Clark glanced over at her and smiled. "If you were in his situation, what would you do?"

"Who? Archie's?" Clark nodded and Chloe chuckled. "God, I'd cut my hair differently. No one gets girls with a checkerboard on the side of their heads."

Clark laughed. "No, I mean about the Betty or Veronica question. Who would you choose?"

"How should I know? I'm not a guy. But most guys would probably choose Veronica because she's rich and beautiful."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But what if they were both guys, who would you choose then?"

Chloe swallowed hard. This was getting a little too close to her feelings towards him and she wasn't going to embarrass herself. "Well, I don't know. Veronica is a bit of a bitch, and she doesn't have anything in common with Archie. Betty is more like one of the guys, so they have more in common, which is why he always overlooks her." She had successfully avoided the question. Thank God.

"Yeah, but who would **you** choose?"

Oh Dear God let it go, Clark. "You really want to know?" Clark nodded. "The male version of Betty, okay? She, or he, whatever, would have more of a personality and they wouldn't order me around like a slave." She rubbed her temples. "This conversation is giving me a headache. Why the twenty questions?"

"I was just wondering, that's all."

They arrived at her house and Chloe turned around to face Clark. "Thank you again, Clark. For saving me again…" Her face turned pale. "Oh my God! We forgot to let him down. He's still on the football field!" Then she grinned mischievously. "Oh well. It'll teach him a lesson."

"Night Chlo."

"Night Clark."

****

"Betty or Veronica? What the hell type of question is that?"

"Just answer it, Pete."

"You taking some sort of poll?"

"Um, sure. That's what it is, a poll."

"Well, I'd probably go for Veronica for looks, but Betty for personality."

"Which is more important?"

"It depends whether you want to be treated like crap or have a less attractive girlfriend."

"Betty wasn't ugly."

"No, but Veronica's hot, man."

"Bye Pete."

****

A few months passed and Clark was still dating Lana. He felt happy, but also guilty at the fact that he was still having trouble deciding between Chloe and Lana. He was excited to finally be doing the boyfriend stuff with Lana, but doubly excited to be sharing his secret with Chloe.

He called her after school one day and asked her to get to his house as soon as possible. "Hurry, Chlo. I need to show you something really cool."

"This better be good, Kent." Chloe huffed as she climbed the stairs to the loft. "I was watching a really good episode of The- Holy Sweet Jesus! You're five feet off the ground, Clark!"

Clark grinned from the air and then slowly floated back down. "Cool, huh? I can fly, Chloe!"

"Is that why you weren't at school today? Trying out your new power?" Chloe asked as she sat down on the old couch.

Clark made a guilty face. "Um, well, my parents made me stay home and master the whole flying thing after I kind of floated through my ceiling this morning."

Chloe grinned, then stood up again and walked over to stand in front of him. "Do it again. I bet you can't touch the barn ceiling."

"I bet **you** can." He picked her up and, to her surprise, started to rise in the air. She gripped his shoulders and looked down to see the loft floor ten feet below them.

"Ahhh, Clark. This is way cool." He stopped rising and looked at her.

"Well, go ahead and touch it." She grinned and reached her arm up to touch the rafter a few inches from her head. "Do you want to stay for dinner? Then we can go for a little flight when it gets dark."

Chloe grimaced. "I can't. My dad will kill me because I have to go to dinner at Lex's house with him tonight and I don't have my homework finished."

Clark slowly descended until the loft floor was underneath their feet again. He released Chloe from his arms and put his hands in his pockets.

"So… okay."

Chloe smiled and punched him lightly in the stomach. "Don't look so worried, Clark. Lex isn't going to eat us." She laughed, then said goodbye and left the barn.

****

"Hey Lex."

"Clark, did you find the answer to that question?"

"Who would you choose?"

"Oh, Betty. She has more spunk. Veronica was just a rich man's daughter."

"Did Betty ever get tired of Archie not noticing her or ignoring her for La- I mean Veronica?"

"In a few comics, yes. She would get tired of being mistreated and find some other guy. But Archie would always get jealous and realize that he would rather be with her than Veronica."

"Hmm."

"Clark…"

"What if Veronica hadn't been so mean?"

"There would have been nothing to her, Clark. One word: boring."

"I didn't know you read Archie comics."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Clark."

****

"Clark, earth to Clark!" Lana waved her hand in front of his face. They were sitting in a booth in the Talon on one of her breaks. He had been staring off into space for a few minutes, not listening to her rant about the school's bathrooms.

"What? Oh, I am so sorry, Lana."

"What were you thinking about?"

He turned towards her and debated telling her what he was actually thinking about. "Well, there's a question that's been bothering me for a while…" He saw the uneasiness on Lana's face before he continued, "Should Archie choose Betty or Veronica?"

Lana let out a laugh. "Are you serious? That's what you were thinking about?"

"Lana, the happiness of many people rides on the answer to this question."

"Yeah, cartoon characters."

"Seriously. Who would you choose?"

"Well, I always liked Betty better because she was more real, you know?" Lana smiled, remembering some childhood memory. "I remembering begging my mother for those comics when she was alive…" Lana's heart burned with pain at the memory and Clark's heart burned with guilt, knowing he had caused that meteor shower.

"So that's three for Betty and one for Veronica." He said to himself.

"Are you taking a poll or something?" Lana asked, wondering why her boyfriend was acting so strange.

Clark looked over at her and smiled. "Yes. It's a very important poll."

****

Martha Kent felt her heart jump into her throat as Clark flew up to the roof of the barn to repair some broken shingles. She had sent him up there after he had bombarded her with the question plaguing their family. Betty or Veronica?

Both Jonathan and Martha had replied that they had never read the comics and that Clark should decide for himself. They knew who Betty and Veronica actually were and the fact that their son had been asking who they preferred made them quite embarrassed.

"Clark, get down here. I need to talk to you." Jonathan yelled up to his son. Clark floated down to the ground and went up into the house after his father.

"What is it, Dad?"

"Stop annoying the townspeople with your problems! You have to choose yourself, Clark. You can't just take the most popular answer and ask her to be your girlfriend."

"I know, Dad. I'm sorry. I'll stop." Clark replied before turning on his heel and going to think in the loft.

He took out a pad of paper and looked at the first sheet. He had been writing down the number of votes for Betty and the number of votes for Veronica. So far Betty was winning by a ratio of 15 to 1.

"Clark? Hey Mr. Superman. How are you? Still pissing people off?" Chloe quipped as she sat down on the couch next to him. "I told you people prefer Betty." She sighed as she noticed the sheet he was holding.

He crumpled it up and threw it in the trash next to the telescope. He shifted in his seat so he was facing her. "Chlo, what do you think Lana would do if she found out my secret?"

Chloe knew what she would do. Lana would probably freak out. She had had run-ins with the meteor affected before and was weirded out then. If she found out she was dating one, she would probably lock herself in her room and never come out. Chloe knew not to say this, though. "Clark, I can't answer that. I'm not Lana. I don't know how she would react."

"Would she be as cool as you?"

"Well, no, but I'm a lot closer to you than she is… well, maybe not. I don't know what you guys have done while you've dated." And please don't tell me, she finished in her head.

He gripped her arms with his hands and looked into her eyes. "I can't keep this secret from her if I date her. I'll end up hurting her somehow. I think I'm going to break up with her."

Chloe blinked in disbelief. "Are you kidding? Clark, you've wanted her since, like, the seventh grade. Why would you give up your dream girl?"

Clark felt the blush creep into his cheeks. "Because she's not my dream girl anymore." He gulped nervously, then cupped her cheek. "I want someone who's been by my side forever. Whenever I've had a problem, whenever I needed help with anything-"

"Clark, are you trying to tell me that you have a crush on Pete?" Chloe asked with a smile.

He sighed, dropping his hands and turning away from her. "Forget it."

Chloe smiled, then took his head in her hands and kissed him on the mouth. When they pulled away for breath, Chloe said, "I know what you were trying to say, Clark. I'm sorry for being such an ass."

He brushed a hair away from her face with his thumb. "I'm sorry for taking so long to notice you, Chlo. I'll always be here for you, though. I promise."

Chloe grinned widely. "So what was it that you were going to tell me a while ago?"

"I think I've fallen in love with you, Chloe Sullivan."

"Really?"

"Well, only if you think you've fallen in love with me…"

Clark saw a smile pull at her lips before she answered. "Well, then I guess we're just two crazy kids in love." He leaned in and kissed her sweetly, not wanting the moment to end. Her arms tightened around his neck as he encircled her waist with his hands.

Neither of them noticed that they were floating a foot above the loft floor.

****

"I'm so sorry, Lana, but I don't think this is working out."

Lana sighed deeply; knowing this conversation was going to come up at one point. She looked down at her hands, then back up at Clark, who was sitting across from her on her porch.

"I know, Clark. I guess we're just better off as friends."

Clark smiled sadly. He felt guilty about ending their relationship on such vague terms, but figured that Lana would just feel hurt if she knew about him and Chloe.

"Did you tell Chloe how you feel?" She asked him suddenly, staring at him.

Clark sputtered. "What? Chloe… what about her? I mean, huh?"

Lana smiled. "Look, it's obvious that you two care about each other a lot and I even noticed it when we were going out, I just… hoped you would look at me that same way that you looked at her."

Clark smiled inwardly, knowing that those were Chloe's exact thoughts during the 'Lanaland' phase, as she liked to put it.

"Actually, Lana… I did tell her how I feel. I'm so sorry-"

She stopped him by putting her hand up. "It's okay, Clark. I love you, but as a friend, you know? And I know that you love Chloe, but as more than a friend, I can tell." She stood up and hugged him tightly. "I'll see you at school tomorrow... right?"

Clark nodded, then watched as she went back into her house. He then sped back to his loft and went up the stairs.

"That didn't look as bad as I thought it would." Chloe stated as she leaned over the telescope.

Clark grabbed her by the waist and spun her around. "You sneak." He gave her a long and languorous kiss, then pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. "She said we were better off as friends and that she knew that I was in love with you."

"Hm, so is she going to show up at my house later tonight and challenge me to a duel where the winner gets you?"

He chuckled before leaning in again to kiss her. "You've already won, Chlo." He said between kisses.

"You're such a dork, Clark."

"But a dork you love, right?"

She shook her head in amusement. "Of course, you big dummy."

He grinned and they shared another kiss, knowing that their relationship was not just another comic-book romance.

****

The End! 


End file.
